Somalia to suspend Ethiopian Airlines flights over sovereignty

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The Somali government threatened to suspend Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia unless concerns over “violations of Somali sovereignty” related to destinations served by Ethiopian Airlines were resolved.

In a statement, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) said it had previous correspondence dating to August 14 with Ethiopian Airlines about the issue. It did not provide details, but many observers in the region say they believe it refers to the airlines’ flights to Hargeisa, Somaliland.

“It has come to our attention that, instead of addressing the sovereignty issues outlined in our letter, Ethiopian Airlines has made adjustments to its flight operations by removing references to Somali destinations and retaining only airport codes,” the statement said.

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The SCAA also said it has received an “increasing number of complaints” from the Somali public regarding their travel experiences with Ethiopian Airlines.

“If these issues are not resolved by August 23, 2024, the SCAA will have no choice but to suspend all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia, effective from that date. This would result in the cessation of Ethiopian Airlines service flights to Somalia.”

The SCAA said it will not provide any warning about future steps. Ethiopian Airlines officials have not yet responded to requests for comment. But the director of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, Getachew Mengiste, says that officials are aware of the issue, though they have not yet received any official letter from the SCAA.

Mengiste said they will discuss the issue, investigate the cause, and respond to it in the future. Ethiopian Airlines has been flying to Somaliland for many years.

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